Sep. 21, 2011
Joshua Buck
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
jbuck@nasa.gov
Kelly Humphries
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov
Brad Thomas
National Space Biomedical Research Institute, Houston
713-798-7595
rbthomas@bcm.edu
RELEASE: 11-319
PLANT EXPERIMENTS TAKE ROOT ON SPACE STATION TO INSPIRE STUDENTS
HOUSTON -- A unique science project designed to sow the excitement of
scientific discovery in students is sprouting this week aboard the
International Space Station. The Plants in Space project will allow
students and teachers to examine root growth in microgravity and
compare the results with those from plants used in their own
ground-based experiments.
The National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) is funding
the project. It began Tuesday, Sept. 20, when space station
astronauts planted Brassica rapa seeds during the first of four
scheduled five-day trials. The project's primary scientific goal is
to investigate the influence of light on root orientation.
"More than 31 million students have participated in educational
demonstrations on the space station, and more than a million students
have done experiments linked to the space station," said NASA's
International Space Station Program Scientist Julie Robinson. "It's a
powerful force motivating young people to pursue careers that look to
the future."
During the trials, astronauts plant seeds in a clear nutrient-filled
gelatin. They will take daily photographs of root growth during each
trial. Students will design and conduct their own experiments with
the help of a teacher's guide developed by the NSBRI. Students will
be able to compare observations and results of their investigations
to the station experiments and the project's ground-based control.
"An important aspect of the Plants in Space project is that it is not
cookbook science" said Nancy P. Moreno, NSBRI education and outreach
program principal investigator, professor of allied health sciences
at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and senior associate director of
its Center for Educational Outreach. "Unfortunately, too often in
science class, kids follow a procedure, get a predetermined result
and really don't experience the excitement of science and the whole
process of discovery. We know that if we enable students to ask their
own questions, design their own experiments and discover their own
answers, they are more likely to develop a greater interest in
science."
The Plants in Space project seeks to determine if white light, heavy
in the blue spectrum, can influence the direction of root growth in
microgravity. Previous research has shown that plant roots respond
weakly to blue light. The project also will study the effects, if
any, of seed orientation on the direction of root growth. The
experiment design calls for mounting seeds in different orientations
on a piece of balsawood, then placing them on top of the growth
medium.
Data gained from the primary and secondary scientific investigations
may help develop systems and techniques so future astronauts can grow
their own food during extended spaceflights to destinations such as
Mars.
NSBRI, funded by NASA, is a consortium of institutions studying the
health risks related to long-duration spaceflight. The institute's
science, technology and education projects take place at more than 60
institutions across the United States. NSBRI is funding Plants in
Space, conducted in cooperation with BCM, BioServe Space Technologies
at the University of Colorado in Boulder and NASA.
For the teacher's guide, project information, a "how-to" video and
project imagery, visit:
http://www.nsbri.org/Plants-in-Space/
For more information about the International Space Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
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